Harvest Season

We have had a very eventful and productive Autumn so far.  At the end of September through mid October we began with the Biblical fall feasts - Rosh Hashana (Yom Teruah), Yom Kippur and then Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles.

As with each year we've been in Israel, we built a sukkah (temporary dwelling) as did many other Israelis.  To top off our sukkah, we were in search once again for palm branches.  We jumped on a tip from a good friend that a nearby town had plenty, and headed that way.  We found the coveted palm branches for sale at a meager cost of 5 NIS each, or 10 for 50 NIS.  We asked for 6 at 30 NIS (about $8) and he loaded the vehicle for us.  

Needless to say, they didn't fit very well....

 “‘But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of Adonai seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches and river-willows, and celebrate in the presence of Adonai your God for seven days. You are to observe it as a feast to Adonai seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month. You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Isra’el is to live in a sukkah, so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Isra’el live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.’”  Leviticus 23:39-43

Here's someone else's sukkah with palm branches.

Putting up our sukkah.  We have a closed-in balcony, but the portion for the sukkah was predesigned by the builder to have the roof retract for sukkot - so you can see the sky.  After Jim retracts the roof in the sukkah, he puts the palm branches up on the "rafters".

During Sukkot, we (CFI - Christian Friends of Israel) were invited to an unprecedented event.  For the first time ever, a Jewish orthodox community invited us and other organizations like us (Christian Zionists) to join them for a Hallel (praise) service at their synagogue in Efrata, on the outskirts of Bethlehem (the city of Yeshua - Jesus' birth).  There were also many Jewish Israeli's invited to join us in worship.

The intent was for believers in the God of Israel - Jews and Gentiles - to worship Him together by reading, singing and dancing to the Psalms (specifically Psalm 113 - 118).  Not to have Jews sitting listening and watching Christians, and not Christians sitting watching Jews - BUT, joining together in reverence and honor to the One True Holy God.  It was a beautiful thing - and we must say, we felt like we were living and experiencing prophesy being fulfilled in and through us.

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."  Zechariah 14:16

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.

3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."  Isaiah 2:2-3 

We took a bus to Ephrata from Jerusalem, and this sign was on the bus - 

Baruchim Habaim, in English it says blessed is he who comes.....

First Rabbi Riskin invited us into the Sukkah as he explained about worshipping with the four species during Sukkot.  "And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days."  Leviticus 23:40

Rabbi Riskin also spoke to us what it means to have Jews and Gentiles worshipping together at Sukkot as stated in Zechariah 14:16 (stated above).  He said together we were building a giant Sukkah for God to dwell in.

Jim was asked to read Psalm 116:

"I love the Lord, because he has heard

    my voice and my pleas for mercy.

Because he inclined his ear to me,

    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

The snares of death encompassed me;

    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;

    I suffered distress and anguish.

Then I called on the name of the Lord:

    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

    our God is merciful.

The Lord preserves the simple;

    when I was brought low, he saved me.

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have delivered my soul from death,

    my eyes from tears,

    my feet from stumbling;

I will walk before the Lord

    in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I spoke:

    “I am greatly afflicted”;

I said in my alarm,

    “All mankind are liars.”

What shall I render to the Lord

    for all his benefits to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

    and call on the name of the Lord,

I will pay my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

    is the death of his saints.

O Lord, I am your servant;

    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.

    You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving

    and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord,

    in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!"

A couple of times during the service, the men danced.

After the event, Rabbi Riskin's website posted this update about the event we attended:

http://cjcuc.com/site/2014/10/22/hundreds-of-christians-joined-rabbi-riskin-to-celebrate-sukkot/

That very afternoon, we attended the Sukkot annual Jerusalem Parade.  The majority of the participants are Christians from around the world who have come to Jerusalem to worship during Sukkot (as stated in Zechariah 14:16) and to show their solidarity, love and support for Israel and the Jewish people.  What touched our hearts deeply - and many Israelis - was that this year, even after just ending the war with Gaza, there was a record number of participants. NOW is the time that Israel needs to know there are people around the world that agree with their right to live in the homeland God gave them.  Many of the participants were from nations that are overwhelming against Israel.

Harvest time....this is an Israeli pumpkin.....

Same thing, but cut up in portions to sell.

Linda and a friend wanted to put their hand at making olives this year, so they set out for an olive grove another friend told them of.

Almost missed the season for green olives!  

They turn black next, but Linda doesn't like black olives.

Hopefully these olives will be good to brine.

After picking, slicing (to get the bitterness out), water bathing for 2 weeks....

these olives are ready for a salty brine for at least the next month.  You can see they are already turning from their bright green clot to the "olive" color we all know.

One of our favorite things about the autumn and winter skies....

"I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow — planter and waterer are the same. However, each will be rewarded according to his work. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building."  

1 Corinthians 3:6-9

The Race

Two weeks ago, we had a special honor.  The community of Pisgat Ze'ev in northern Jerusalem was sponsoring a race for an organization called Aharai! - in English this means Follow Me!  This is the phrase the commander calls out as written in the previous blog post.  CFI joined forces with them sponsoring a race to promote unity between the youth and current IDF soldiers, who came to encourage these young people.  As CFI cheered the racers, we also handed out water and fruit.

From their website:  

Aharai! is a social educational organization that develops young leadership and promotes social involvement among youths from the projects, development towns, absorption centers, boarding schools and shelters. 
By connecting the youths to milestones in Israeli society; preparation for a significant military service in the IDF, preparation for the matriculation exams, immigrant integration programs, youth challenge programs, one year of community service, pre-military academy and alumni organization; the organization provides its youths a sense of achievement and capability and encourages them to fit in as contributing citizens in the State of Israel. 

The race CFI sponsored was for soldiers currently in the IDF to run along side the youth and encourage them to finish the race and not give up.  Being the main sponsor of the event, they placed our Christian Friends of Israel logo on the back of the shirts that each runner wore, along with many others at the event.  It was very exciting to see a sense of Ephesians 2:14-16.  Here were Jewish men, women and children receiving us with open arms - wearing shirts with a Christian organization on their backs.

Before the race.

Jim with councilmen from Jerusalem and Pisgat Ze'ev.

Getting ready to start!

They honored Jim by asking him to cut the tape to begin the race.

And let the race begin!

I almost got run over!

Heading down the hill, that's the easy part....

And then up, up, UP!!!

You can see the road they are climbing midway in the picture with the people who look like ants. :)

These two ladies have great ambition.  What we found out was that the 

community had lost some boys in the war with Gaza, 

so it was a very special time for them to remember and honor these heroes.

The finish line - one of the first to complete the race!!

Enjoying the water and fruit after a long, hot run.

A short video clip of the race.

The runners in the gray shirts are with Aharai! and did a great job encouraging 

the other racers to endure and complete the race set before them.

Yea!  They did it!!

Yes, the two ladies were the last to finish - with an escort - but they DID finish.

As usual, we share how honored we are, and they share how grateful they are....

They even asked Jim to speak to the group at the closing ceremony after the race.  After Jim spoke of our solidarity as Christians - with the IDF, the community and the youth - the head councilman, and leader of the event told Jim, “I looked into the eyes of the parents, and saw that what you shared with them went straight into their hearts.  It was good for you to be here today.” 

This young lady's brother was a soldier killed in the war.

The Aharai! team

Water fight!!

This woman stopped Jim because she wanted to thank him for what he spoke to the group, that it meant a lot to her.  About forty years ago, she too, had lost her son at the young age of 20 as a soldier.

Time may heal all wounds, but sometimes it still hurts....

So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us, 

 looking away to the Initiator and Completer of that trusting, Yeshua — who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before him, endured execution on a stake as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2